Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 20th of November 2015

Case name: 2015_11_20-AEG135
Situation: Alarm Phone alerted to 6 boats in distress near Lesvos, Farmakonisi, Chios, Samos and 2 groups stranded on Nisida Pasas, all saved
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Aegean Sea

Summary of the Cases: On Friday the 20th of November 2015 the Alarm Phone was alerted to 6 boats in distress near the Greek islands of Lesvos, Farmakonisi, Chios and Samos. All groups of travellers were rescued afterwards. 5 groups finally arrived in Greece while the Turkish coastguard rescued one group, who had been beforehand attacked by a group of masked men, most probably belonging to the coastguard, who took away their engine. Beyond that, two groups who had stranded on the Greek island of Nisida Pasas were picked up after the Alarm Phone had alerted the port authorities on the Greek island of Chios.

At about midnight on Friday the 20th of November 2015 the Alarm Phone received a direct call from a group of 22 travellers who had stranded on the tiny Greek island of Nisida Pasas (case 1). We alerted the port authorities on the island of Chios via phone and mail at 0.15am and urged them to pick up the group. Beyond that, we called the travellers again and asked them to also call the emergency hotline 112. At 0.50am they told us that the local police had called them and had promised to rescue them from the island. At 2am we talked to the police on Chios again and were told that they would not start to rescue the group before the next morning. Thus we called the travellers again and guided them to a little church on the island, were they found shelter for the night. At 5.12am they sent us their latest position and eventually, at 6.40am, they called us again and told us that the police had arrived in order to pick them up. They were fine and thanked us for our support.

At 1.30am we were alerted via Facebook to a boat in distress close to the north-eastern shore of the Greek island of Lesvos (case 2). Unfortunately we were not able to reach the travellers on their phone, but at 2.10am they confirmed to us that they had safely arrived on Lesvos.

At 2.30am a contact person informed us about a boat in distress between the Turkish coast and the Greek island of Farmakonisi, whose engine had apparently been taken away by masked man, who could have been members of the Greek coastguard (case 3). There were 40 people on the boat, including 5 children, and their boat had begun to sink. We alerted the Turkish coastguard immediately afterwards, who were already aware of this boat and promised to rescue it. Afterwards, we were not able to talk to the travellers again, but at 7am they called our contact person and confirmed to him that the Turkish coastguard had rescued them.

At 4.45am we received a direct call from another group who had stranded on the Greek island of Nisida Pasas, close to Chios (case 4). We asked them to call 112 and told them that they probably have to wait until the next morning, as the police had already told us with respect to case 1. At 5am we informed the port authorities on Chios that there were 40 additional people on the island, in need of being picked up. Eventually, at 6.46am, the travellers confirmed to us that they had been picked up and that they were safe.

At 7.45am a contact person forwarded the phone number and coordinates of a boat in distress to us (case 5). On their way to the Greek island of Lesvos their engine had stopped, but had started again afterwards. In the afternoon our contact person informed us that the group had safely arrived on Lesvos.

At 8am a contact person called us and provided us with a phone number and coordinates of a boat in distress on its way to the Greek island of Chios (case 6). Because we were not able to talk directly to the travellers, we provided them with the number of the Greek coastguard via WhatsApp and also urged them to call 112. Beyond that, we informed the Greek coastguard, who had already received the position of the boat in distress. They promised to send a rescue vessel to this position. At 10am the coastguard told us that they have saved 61 people at this position. Finally, at 1.45pm, our contact person confirmed as well that the travellers had been rescued and that they had arrived on Chios.

At 9am another contact person forwarded to us the coordinates of a boat in distress east of the Greek island of Samos (case 7). Because the position was already two hours old, the Greek coastguard had refrained to take them, however, at 9.25am we learned from our contact person that the Greek coastguard had found the boat in distress and had saved it. At 10am also the travellers themselves confirmed to us that they had been rescued.

In the evening of that day, at 7pm, an activist called us from Lesvos and informed us about a boat out of a group of three boats, which had run out of fuel on their way from Berham/Turkey to the northern shore of Lesvos. We forwarded the emergency number of the Greek coastguard on Lesvos to the activist, but as she had told us that local boats had already started to search for the boat in distress, we did not call the coastguard directly. At 9.50pm we learned that the activists had alerted the coastguard themselves.